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I have some mobility issues and need a transport wheelchair for long distances. I can't walk long distances without a lot of pain. The gangway is a problem and I'll need the ride there. Once I am on the ship I probably will not use the chair much since I can sit often while moving about the ship. I do need it when I get off the ship if I plan to go a long distance. Will I be able to take the wheel chair on a boat such as in Tortola? We have a tour that takes us on a boat ride then we get off and shop a while then board a bus. My chair is the folding type and not heavy. Hubby will be able to lift it etc. Will I be permitted to take it on all those segments of my excursion? I have a cable lock to secure the chair if necessary if I need to temporarily leave it somewhere.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations. I have thought this out pretty well. After getting off the ship on our last cruise this past My, I realized I just couldn't do it without the chair.

jackretired..... I already own my own transport chair. I do NOT have an accessible cabin and DO NOT need it. I am fine to walk around the cabin and even around the ship (Carnival Breeze) because there are so many places to sit in corridors etc.. I just mainly need it when we get off the ship. It is foldable and will fit thru cabin door etc. We have ATD but again I won't need it on the ship.

We were on the Breeze in May and I was OK on the ship. Its just in port I can't walk long distances. Our excursion in Tortola has me concerned whether they will allow me to bring it on the boat and stow it while we ar sailing around the islands of Tortola. Also wondering if I can fold it and take it on the trolley in San Juan and on the ferry from St Thomas to St John.

Also I can travel at my own speed and leisure thru airports. The service they provide is always rush-rush thru the airport.

By the way my chair is a beauty. It's a dark Candy-Apple Red.....and I named her 'Ruby'. Might as well keep a sense of humor thru all this.

I have some mobility issues and need a transport wheelchair for long distances. I can't walk long distances without a lot of pain. The gangway is a problem and I'll need the ride there. Once I am on the ship I probably will not use the chair much since I can sit often while moving about the ship. I do need it when I get off the ship if I plan to go a long distance. Will I be able to take the wheel chair on a boat such as in Tortola? We have a tour that takes us on a boat ride then we get off and shop a while then board a bus. My chair is the folding type and not heavy. Hubby will be able to lift it etc. Will I be permitted to take it on all those segments of my excursion? I have a cable lock to secure the chair if necessary if I need to temporarily leave it somewhere.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations. I have thought this out pretty well. After getting off the ship on our last cruise this past My, I realized I just couldn't do it without the chair.

No one on this forum can say for certain as to whether or not your wheelchair will be allowed on the Boat as well as the Bus associated with the excursion you have booked. If the excursion was booked through the ship than you need to check with the cruise line's excursion desk. If you booked this privately (not through the cruise line) you need to check directly with the Excursion company.

I'm a crutch/wheelchair user so have similar issues. My chair doesn't fold, so if anything, my circumstances are slightly more difficult than yours.

You don't say which cruise line you are going to be with, but I usually find that if you make contact with them they have a special needs department who can investigate trips and find out what will be accessible for you. They sometimes even manage to find an alternative.

Generally, the most difficult parts about boat trips are getting on and off and how you will perform if the waters are a bit rough. If you can manage a few steps then unless it is small, old or problematic you can probably get on a tour boat. You MUST confirm first though.

Our last cruise was New Zealand and we took a harbour boat tour. Wheeled on board, stored the chair and used crutches or hand rails for the next two hours. But that was quite a reasonable sized catamaran, I wouldn't have managed in an old sailing ketch.
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My problems aren't walking per se. My problem is with long distances. For instance I can get my mail at the end of the driveway and can go thru the grocery store if I lean on the cart. But I could not get thru the grocery store without a cart. I can't walk thru the airport. I'll be able to walk anywhere on the ship as long as I can sit awhile and let my back relax. I have lower back problems ( I know--who doesn't these days?) I also can not just stand in line. I need to sit or lean on something. Last time in Grand Turk I was miserable getting from the ship to the island. I was in tears from pain by the time I got to sit down.

I'll have no problem getting off the ship or onto a small boat etc. I can walk that part with no problems. I am going to call Carnival and see what they say.

I'm thinking I'll be fine. I am a bit skeptical about leaving it somewhere and have someone steal it. That happened to someone once on our cruise once. So I bought a bike cable and will lock it to a chaise lounge in Grand Turk while we are in the pool. That should stop any would be thiefs. I could also lock it to a pole if necessary. Geez what we have to do these days.

Somebody mentioned trolley in San Juan - we stayed there, and used the trolley. Think the old type buses with 3 steep steps. Very uncomfortable to climb. I use a cane, and move around on my own, felt the trolleys to be difficult because of those steps. Just so you will be prepared.

My problems aren't walking per se. My problem is with long distances. For instance I can get my mail at the end of the driveway and can go thru the grocery store if I lean on the cart. But I could not get thru the grocery store without a cart. I can't walk thru the airport. I'll be able to walk anywhere on the ship as long as I can sit awhile and let my back relax. I have lower back problems ( I know--who doesn't these days?) I also can not just stand in line. I need to sit or lean on something. Last time in Grand Turk I was miserable getting from the ship to the island. I was in tears from pain by the time I got to sit down.

I'll have no problem getting off the ship or onto a small boat etc. I can walk that part with no problems. I am going to call Carnival and see what they say.

I'm thinking I'll be fine. I am a bit skeptical about leaving it somewhere and have someone steal it. That happened to someone once on our cruise once. So I bought a bike cable and will lock it to a chaise lounge in Grand Turk while we are in the pool. That should stop any would be thiefs. I could also lock it to a pole if necessary. Geez what we have to do these days.

We will be taking a folding transport chair for my DH on our upcoming cruise for the very same reasons you stated. Like you, he is able to go get the mail, grocery shop with the aid of a cart..etc etc.. He just cannot walk long distances w/o much pain. We have just made this decision this morning so I am looking for any info on excursions also... I have booked only excursions that require little or no walking. He will only need the chair to get off the ship and to the vehicle we will be using. We are sailing Princess out of FLL... anyone had experience at the port with wheelchair help? Thanks

I too can not walk long distances without holding on to something. In January we took the Ruby Princess to the Eastern Caribbean. We rented a wheelchair for the week. Princess was very helpful getting us on and off the ship in Ft. Lauderale. They helped us on and off in port also. We did a private tour (Bernards) in St. Martin, I called them before we left and they said the wheelchair should be no problem on the bus and it wasn't. We took an open air bus in St. Thomas and again no problem with the wheelchair. All the staff and crew were very accommodating when we had to use the chair around the ship.
Enjoy your cruise.

We traveled last year with my Dad and his folding wheelchair. We pushed him off the ship and to our waiting area for our excursions, whether they were ship-sponsored or private. We also took the excursion on the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John with no problem. We wheeled him up to the ferry, crew helped him onto the ferry, then they folded the wheelchair and stored it for the journey to St. John.

We had no problems storing it on excursions in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Kitts. Every tour operator was more than helpful in storing it somewhere and manually helping him up and into vans, taxis and ferries.

I'm not sure about the trolly in San Juan. We stayed pre-cruise in an Old San Juan hotel and had the trolly stop right outside our door so we didn't need the wheelchair since we were just going to ride around Old San Juan in the trolly (our cheap little excursion to see the City).